General Questions

Program, travel, living, etc.

Interviews will be conducted in the weeks following the application deadline.

Conditional acceptance to the program will be given by the end of February. Final acceptance will be given by mid-March (subject to congressional interview schedule).

Between these two dates, we will help you find a Congressional internship and final acceptance will be given upon you being accepted into a Congressional internship.

The 2019 CLDP will last from May 27th (orientation) to July 20th (exit interview) in Washington, D.C.

Congressional internship dates will be dependent on the particular congressional office you will be interning for.

Will I be placed in an internship position on Capitol Hill?

Acceptance into the fellowship is conditional upon being accepted into a congressional internship, to which you will apply separately. After your interview with us, and upon receiving conditional acceptance from the CLDP, you will receive instructions on which offices we recommend you apply to, and we will help as much as we can to help secure you an internship. Once accepted in the congressional office, you will get a final acceptance from us.

What does the program include?

Speaker Series

This is an opportunity for you to meet some of D.C.'s most talented individuals, who can mentor and advise you during the program. In addition, you will learn the skills needed to be successful in D.C., such as networking, public speaking, resume writing and more.

Where will I be living?

You are responsible for finding your own housing. Some common options are Craigslist and Airbnb. If you are having difficulty finding housing, our staff is available to help.

I have never been to Washington, D.C. Will you help me get familiar with the city?

Absolutely! We understand this may be the first time you have been to Washington, D.C., or the first time you've left your comfort zone. Your parents or guardians may even have some concerns about letting you go to D.C. for the summer. We will have a survivor's guide to D.C. ready for you, and CLDP staff will be on hand to guide you, mentor you, and even have coffee with you. Beyond that, we will spend orientation time to get you acclimated with the city.

This is during Ramadan. Will you make accommodations for this?

Fasting is challenging under normal circumstances. Considering Ramadan will land squarely in the summer this year, we will adjust class times and workshops throughout the month. In addition, we will provide information to join D.C. Muslims across the city for iftar.